Applying Your Attending Skills

Applying Your Attending Skillsas

Identify all three presenting aspects of this client—behavioral, emotional, and cognitive—as they appear in the case study. Create a table listing these aspects without interpretation or assessment. All aspects are fictional; any resemblance to real persons is coincidental.

Explain how you will elicit the amount and type of information from a client in a real face-to-face situation, including the skills you will employ and the behaviors you will look for.

Paper For Above instruction

From the presented case study of Terri, an 18-year-old college freshman, it is evident that she presents a range of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive aspects that require careful attention in counseling. These aspects reflect her current psychological state, behavioral responses, and thought patterns, which are crucial in forming an understanding for effective intervention.

Behavioral Aspects

• Replaying the missed shot: Terri reports continually replaying her missed free throw during her free time, which indicates compulsive or repetitive behavior related to her perceived failure.
• Withdrawal from communication: She has sent all her calls to voicemail and refrains from calling teammates or friends, suggesting social withdrawal or avoidance behavior.
• Increased physical activity: She is going to the park late at night to improve her free throws, indicating a compulsive effort to alter her perceived failure or cope with her distress.
• Work attendance: Despite her distress, Terri plans to return to her part-time job at the mall, demonstrating a continuation of her occupational behavior.

Emotional Aspects

• Guilt and self-blame: She frequently states, “It is my fault we lost the game,” and “I let my team down,” indicating intense feelings of guilt and self-blame.
• Anxiety and nervousness: She experiences distractibility, nervousness, heart fluttering, sweaty palms, dry mouth, and feelings of petrification, all typical signs of heightened anxiety.
• Fear of social judgment and isolation: Her reluctance to contact teammates or friends and her concern that her mother is worried reflect fears of judgment and feelings of loneliness or isolation.
• Preoccupation with failure: She fixates on her perceived mistake, which affects her emotional well-being and contributes to her distress.

Cognitive Aspects

• Negative self-evaluation: Terri’s repeated statements about her choking and blowing the game reflect negative thought patterns and self-critical cognition.
• Blame attribution: She attributes the loss solely to her mistake, indicating a cognitive bias towards personal responsibility and guilt.
• Rumination: Her tendency to keep replaying the missed shot signifies ruminative thinking, which maintains her emotional distress.
• Appraisal of future prospects: She mentions her dreams being "out of the window," indicating a cognitive outlook that sees her future potential as diminished due to her perceived failure.

Eliciting Information in a Face-to-Face Client Situation

In a real counseling session, eliciting the necessary information involves employing active listening skills, including open-ended questioning, reflective listening, and non-verbal cues such as eye contact, nodding, and appropriate facial expressions. Asking open-ended questions like "Can you tell me more about how you're feeling after the game?" or "What thoughts go through your mind when you replay the game in your head?" encourages clients to elaborate on their experiences.

Utilizing empathetic responses and clarification questions helps clients feel understood and safe to share sensitive information. For example, reflecting back what the client says, such as "It sounds like you're really overwhelmed by this mistake," demonstrates understanding and invites additional details.

Monitoring clients' non-verbal behaviors—such as fidgeting, facial expressions, and physical gestures—provides insight into underlying emotional states. Observing signs of tension, avoidance, or agitation informs the counselor about areas needing further exploration.

The skills employed include establishing rapport, demonstrating genuine interest, maintaining an open posture, and using minimal encouragers (like "mm-hmm" or "go on") to promote client elaboration. The overall goal is to create a trusting environment where clients feel comfortable revealing their inner thoughts and feelings, enabling a comprehensive understanding of their issues.

Conclusion

In sum, accurately identifying behavioral, emotional, and cognitive aspects from a client's narrative without judgment is foundational in counseling. When conducted face-to-face, eliciting such information relies heavily on active listening, observation, and empathetic communication. These skills facilitate a comprehensive client assessment, ultimately guiding effective intervention strategies.

References

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